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Texas Medicaid for pregnant women

Who qualifies for Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women, the income limit for your household size, what it covers and how to apply with Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

Limits as of January 2026 · Checked October 2026 · 19 sources

Apply for Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women

Texas Health and Human Services Commission runs it. We're not the state agency, so you apply with them, online or with help from your clinic or hospital.

Start your application

Opens hhs.texas.gov

Check your income against the limit

Short answer

In Texas, you qualify for pregnancy Medicaid or CHIP if your household earns up to 207% of the poverty level: about $44,795 a year for a household of two (you and the baby). Coverage lasts 12 months after birth. A qualified clinic or hospital can enroll you the same day.

Texas pregnancy Medicaid income limits for 2026

Find your household size and compare your household's income with the limit. Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women covers pregnancy up to 207% of the federal poverty level.

Medicaid itself goes to 203%. Between 203% and 207%, coverage is through CHIP's From Conception to End of Pregnancy (unborn-child) option.

Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women income limits2026 guidelines, 48 states and DC
HouseholdMedicaid to 203%Unborn-child to 207%
2you + 1 baby$43,929$3,661/mo$44,795$3,733/mo
3$55,460$4,622/mo$56,552$4,713/mo
4$66,990$5,583/mo$68,310$5,693/mo
5$78,520$6,543/mo$80,068$6,672/mo
6$90,051$7,504/mo$91,825$7,652/mo
7$101,581$8,465/mo$103,583$8,632/mo
8$113,112$9,426/mo$115,340$9,612/mo

Annual and monthly household income. See the 2026 poverty guidelines

Your baby counts

For Medicaid, a pregnant woman's family size counts her plus the number of children she is expected to deliver (42 CFR 435.603(b)). A household of three in Texas, two adults expecting one baby, can earn up to $56,552 a year ($27,320 × 207%).

Limits are percents of the poverty level from KFF and Georgetown CCF (January 2026) and include the standard 5-point income disregard. Texas rounds and updates on its own schedule, so treat the dollars as approximate.

Sources: KFF State Health Facts; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Federal Register); eCFR (National Archives). Data as of October 2026.

How to apply in Texas

  1. Count your household

    Count yourself plus each baby you're expecting, and anyone else the state counts with you. Find your size in the table above.

  2. Apply with Texas Health and Human Services Commission

    Apply on the state's site (hhs.texas.gov). Go to the Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women application

  3. Ask for same-day coverage

    At your first prenatal visit, ask whether the clinic can enroll you through presumptive eligibility while your application is processed.

  4. Keep your coverage after birth

    Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women covers you for 12 months after the pregnancy ends.

Get covered today

Yes

Presumptive eligibility lets a qualified clinic or hospital enroll a pregnant person in temporary Medicaid right away, while the full application is processed.

Texas uses it for pregnancy. Ask at your first prenatal visit whether the clinic can enroll you.

Source: KFF and Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Data as of January 2025.

12 months

of Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women coverage after birth, since March 1, 2024

KFF postpartum tracker, July 2026

What Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women covers for pregnancy

Coverage after birth, plus the three extras people ask about most, each from our state-by-state trackers.

After birth

12 months
Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women keeps covering you for 12 months after the pregnancy ends, a rule in place since March 1, 2024.
Postpartum coverage in every state

Doula care

No
Texas Medicaid doesn't cover doula care.We list 714 doulas in Texas.
Doulas in TexasDoula coverage in every state

Lactation support

Check
We couldn't confirm Texas's Medicaid lactation coverage from an official source. Check with your Medicaid plan.
Lactation consultants in TexasLactation coverage in every state

Breast pump

Yes
In Texas, Medicaid covers a manual or electric breast pump within 12 months of birth with no prior authorization.
Breast pump rules in Texas and every state

What's changing

Rules that affect pregnancy coverage in Texas now and in 2027.

Sources: U.S. Government Publishing Office; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; KFF and Georgetown University Center for Children and Families

More for families in Texas

All 50 states and DC

Questions about pregnancy Medicaid in Texas

What is the income limit for pregnancy Medicaid in Texas?

Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women covers pregnancy for household incomes up to 207% of the federal poverty level. At the 2026 guidelines that's about $44,795 a year for a household of two, $56,552 for three and $68,310 for four. Medicaid itself goes to 203% ($43,929 for two). Between 203% and 207%, coverage is through CHIP's From Conception to End of Pregnancy (unborn-child) option. Limits are KFF's figures as of January 2026.

Does my unborn baby count in my household size?

Yes. For Medicaid, a pregnant woman's family size counts her plus the number of children she is expected to deliver (42 CFR 435.603(b)). A single pregnant woman expecting one baby is a household of two; expecting twins, a household of three.

How long does Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women cover you after birth?

12 months after the pregnancy ends, a rule in place since March 1, 2024.

Can I get covered the same day in Texas?

Yes. Texas uses presumptive eligibility for pregnancy, so a qualified clinic or hospital can enroll you in temporary Medicaid the same day while your full application is processed.

How do I apply for pregnancy Medicaid in Texas?

Apply with Texas Health and Human Services Commission at hhs.texas.gov. Count yourself plus each baby you're expecting as your household, and compare your income with the limit for that size. We're not the state agency and can't take applications.

Does Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women pay for a doula?

Texas Medicaid doesn't cover doula care.

Do pregnant women have to meet the new Medicaid work requirements?

Public Law 119-21 (2025) requires states to apply Medicaid work (community engagement) requirements to expansion adults ages 19-64 starting no later than January 1, 2027 (states may start earlier; HHS may grant good-faith exemptions that end by December 31, 2028). People who are pregnant or entitled to postpartum coverage are exempt, as are parents and caretakers of a dependent child 13 or younger.

We're not Texas Health and Human Services Commission and can't tell you whether you qualify. Apply at hhs.texas.gov for a decision. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the state's own notice.

Sources

  1. 1.Medicaid and CHIP Income Eligibility Limits for Pregnant Women as a Percent of the Federal Poverty Level (as of January 2026) KFF State Health Facts. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  2. 2.Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Renewal Policies as States Prepare for Major Medicaid Policy Changes (Table 2, January 2026) KFF and Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  3. 3.Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Extension Tracker (as of July 15, 2026) KFF. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  4. 4.Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Renewal Policies as States Resume Routine Operations Following the Unwinding (Table 7: Presumptive Eligibility, January 2025) KFF and Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  5. 5.Texas Medicaid for Pregnant Women: how to apply Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  6. 6.CMS approval of Texas State Plan Amendment TX-23-0028 (12-month postpartum coverage), effective 2024-03-01 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  7. 7.Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines (91 FR 1797, Jan. 15, 2026) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Federal Register). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  8. 8.42 CFR 435.603(b), definition of family size eCFR (National Archives). Accessed October 9, 2026.
Show all 19 sources
  1. 9.Public Law 119-21, sec. 71119: Requirement for States to Establish Medicaid Community Engagement Requirements (adds SSA sec. 1902(xx)) U.S. Government Publishing Office. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  2. 10.SHO #26-001: Implementation of Section 71109 "Alien Medicaid Eligibility" (April 8, 2026) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  3. 11.42 CFR 447.56(a)(2)(ii), exemptions from Medicaid cost sharing: pregnancy-related services eCFR / Code of Federal Regulations.
  4. 12.Doula Medicaid Project: state-by-state chart of doula Medicaid efforts (last updated Sep. 2026) National Health Law Program (NHeLP). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  5. 13.State Trends in Medicaid Coverage of Doula Services (published April 1, 2026; data as of March 2026) National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  6. 14.H.B. No. 136 (89th Legislature, Regular Session), Enrolled: relating to Medicaid coverage and reimbursement for lactation consultation services Texas Legislature. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  7. 15.Fiscal Note, 89th Legislative Regular Session, H.B. 136 Texas Legislative Budget Board. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  8. 16.Texas Register Vol. 51 No. 37 (September 11, 2026): HHSC Notice of Provider Engagement Meetings for Medicaid Payment Rates Texas Secretary of State (Texas Register). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  9. 17.Texas Medicaid Provider Procedures Manual: Gynecological, Obstetrics, and Family Planning Title XIX Services Handbook (October 2026) Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) for Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  10. 18.Comments on Proposed Rules for Medicaid Lactation Consultation Services (secondary source) Texans Care for Children. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  11. 19.Medicaid Coverage of Pregnancy-Related Services: Findings from a 2021 State Survey KFF. Accessed October 9, 2026.